What enthused any of us to become Script Supervisors? It's a question we're always being asked. Read about some people's experiences.If you'd care to share your journey to becoming a Script Supervisor - email us with your story in about 200 words, including a 'working' photo, at mail@scriptsupervisors.co.uk

Below you'll find many & varied Script Supervisors' 'beginnings' in no particular order. Hopefully this list will be added to as time goes on...

MARJORIE LAVELLY

Marjorie Lavelly - the 'self-confessed queen of continuity' on sixties
and seventies British TV action series. She came out of the forces as
an accountant and joined documentary company, GB Instructional Films at
Shepherds Bush, then Elstree. An editor she knew offered to train her
in the cutting rooms, but due to an eye injury she had to abandon that
path. She took a shorthand/typing course and got work as a production
secretary. She studied continuity sheets, then got work on 2nd
Units. Her husband, a gaffer at Shepperton was offered a picture in
India, on which she also managed to get employed. It was a long
feature called "Queen of Jhansi", in English and Hindi and the first
colour picture to be made by an Indian with Indian finance. She said:
"quite an experience, I worried like crazy but managed to get through
it without any cockups".

Her first English feature was "Robbery
Under Arms" (1957), she worked on many Hammer films, four Carry On
films, TV series such as "The Avengers", "The Sweeney" and "The
Professionals". The last film she worked on was "The Girl in a Swing"
(1988). for a Danish company, shot in Copenhagen. She then retired and
died in September 2006.

Elaine Schreyeck - known as "the Duchess", entered the film industry in
1941 at Paramount Pictures in Wardour Street. In February 1942, she
joined Ealing Studios under Michael Balcon, to work in the script
department, before becoming secretary to director Basil Dearden.

In July 1943 she worked on her first film as script supervisor and continued until her retirement in 1986.

First credit on IMDb is listed as "For Those in Peril", directed by
Charles Crichton, an Ealing Films production - she is uncredited.
There are 74 films listed on her IMDb page, amongst which are "The
Prince and the Showgirl", directed by Laurence Olivier, also "Battle of
Britain", "Diamonds are Forever", "Live and Let Die", "The Man with the
Golden Gun", "Moonraker", "For Your Eyes Only", "Octopussy", the first
two "Superman" films and finally "Hope and Glory".

Elaine Schreyeck, on the back of the props truck, working on "The Sundowners". The photo captain was: 'her majesty'.

Elaine Schreyeck, working on "The Sundowners" (1960), director Fred Zinnemann

Gladys Goldsmith started out at Denham Studios. She was a production
secretary during WW2 and worked in an adjacent office to Renee Glynne,
to whom she was "a humorous friend and colleague". After the war she
turned to continuity at Denham, working as assistant continuity on
"Escape" and "Hamlet" in 1948. Her first recorded work 'going solo'
was on "Let's have a Murder" in 1950. From "Checkpoint" in 1956 she
began a long association with the Rank Organisation and Pinewood
Studios. She worked there on the 'Doctor' series of films, took over
from Marjorie Lavelly for the location work on "One Million Years BC",
and continued on a 'mixed bag' of films: "The Avengers" (series), "Carry
on Up The Khyber", "Kelly's Heroes", "The Day of the Jackal", "The
Return of the Saint" (series), and her last film was "Moonraker" in
1979.

Lorna Selwyn's first known credit is on the television series "The
Bucaneers" (1956). She worked on other tv series: "The Saint", "The
Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre", "The Avengers", films such as
"Rasputin: The Mad Monk", "The Plank", "Ulysses", "Witchfinder General"
and an infamous style of film of the '70s "Come Play with Me". Her
last film on IMDb is "Queen of the Blues" (1979).

Doreen Dearnaley started as a production secretary for Two Cities Films
at Denham Studios. Her first recorded film as continuity girl was
"House of Blackmail" in 1953. She worked at Hammer on various films,
including "Dracula" in 1957. Among other films, she worked on "The
Jokers" and "Charlie Bubbles" in 1967, "Up The Junction" (1968), "Get
Carter" (1971) and her final film on IMDb is "Something to Hide" in
1976.

June Randall first got a job as studio manager's secretary at
Gainsborough Studios, Poole Street, Islington. After a year she went
onto the floor as an assistant and learned the trade that way. Her
first recorded credit as assistant continuity is at Gainsborough on
"Dear Murderer" in 1947, and then as continuity girl on "The Blind
Goddess" in 1948. She worked at Hammer and on tv series - "The
Avengers" and "The Saint". She worked on several films with Stanley
Kubrick, starting with "A Clockwork Orange" in 1971, and again with him
on "Barry Lyndon" and "The Shining". She worked on 5 "Bond" films,
plus "Ghandi", "Alien 3", and her last film was "Back to the Secret
Garden" in 2001.

Brian Donlevy and June Randall on "Quatermass 2" (1956)

June Randall showing the script to John Carson on "Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter" (1972)

Pauline Harlow started as a receptionist at Bray Studios and then worked
as Arthur Kelly's secretary, moving on to work for Anthony Nelson
Keys. She was offered a year's training with continuity girl Tilly
Day, and was also seconded to the cutting rooms. The first film she
did solo as continuity girl was "Sword of Sherwood Forest", taking over
from Dot Foreman. She continued her training under Tilly and then
worked on various Hammer films. After a break from the job, while her
children were growing up, she returned to work on many tv series,
"Monsignor Renard", "Kavanagh QC" and particularly "Inspector Morse",
with John Thaw. Pauline has continued working on the sequel, "Lewis".

Pauline Harlow working on "Nightmare" (1962) for Hammer at Oakley Court.

At the BBC we were known as Producer's Assistants working for a Director
along with his PA (a 1st AD) and an Assistant Floor Manager. The three
of us organised whole productions, series, serials, Wednesday plays. I
typed memos, typed scripts, booked actors, booked lunches, got coffee,
arranged meetings for people with strange titles like TM2 or FOMs, added
up the budget and occasionally went out filming - I thought this would
be the ultimate in glamour, put on my most fetching short dress and
tights and froze.

I carried a script and a pad marked CONTINUITY and
filled the sheets with copious notes and illustrated them with little
drawings of vaguely what was being recorded - no luxurious monitors and a
brief peer through the lens was not looked on with favour. I drew
wobbly lines down scripts to indicate what might have been covered and
had no idea what was meant by an eyeline but somehow survived. To give
the BBC its due, the Producer's Assistants did do a few days training on
Continuity. One day I was sent wandering round the Television Centre
at White City where we were based - in a very tiny ofice was a thin
young man, with sellotape wound round his spectacles, called Ken Loach.
He went on to make features like "Kes" and so did I as Continuity/Script
Supervisor - a mixed bag of good and sometimes bad experiences and I
have often wondered why I find myself watching and recording, in the
minutest detail, people pretending to be other people. Penny Eyles
2.6.12

I was working for a paint manufacturing company in the City of London, a
Film Editor friend, enthused me with his description of the film
industry, about which I knew very little. I applied for several Producer's Assistant jobs. Got hired by Paramount Pictures to work for Steve Previn, who was overseeing the
post-production of some Paramount films at Shepperton
Studios. I couldn't believe my luck to be working there - it was so
exciting. Paramount then sent me on location with another Producer on a Blake Edwards/Julie
Andrews film, shooting in Ireland, Brussels and Paris. It was my good fortune when 2nd & 3rd Units were set up and I was told to join them, to take care of the 'continuity' on the pick up shots - this after a brief
spell with the USA 1st Unit 'Continuity Girl' to "see how its done". Back in the UK I realised that was the job I really wanted to do. Harlech TV trained me in every
area of Production Assistant/Continuity for a whole year and, consequently, I was
entitled to my ACTT Union ticket without which, in those days, you
couldn't get a job. At Thames TV I gained drama & filming
experience. I went freelance beginning on TV series; got lucky when
asked to work as the Script Supervisor on a Westward TV film, which had a
1st AD from features, he recommended me for an independent short film
and from there I began work in that captivating world of the film industry.

Way back then, the forties to be exact, I had heard about Continuity and decided to see if I could get a job as a trainee. I had been to Denham Studios once and knew then I wanted to work on set. I had tried being a secretary but realised a secretarial role was not for me. I was not subservient enough. I found the address of all the feature film companies and then hawked my wares around town. Fortunately a company, Peak Films, said there might be a job at Worton Hall Studios on a film about to start. I found my way to Isleworth from London by public transport and one of the first people I encountered was Guy Hamilton who was a First Assistant. He sent me to the office and my good fortune started from then when I was introduced to Betty Forster who had been in the Army Film Unit and was about to start on a film called "Nightbeat". She agreed to take me on and we

became firm friends. About 3 weeks into the production they needed some second unit shots and I was dispatched to the 2nd unit in Wapping. It was a true baptism: Nightwork on a barge on the Thames. We went through the warehouse to get to the boat but when the tide changed and dawn arrived one had to climb up a very long ladder. I remember freezing on the ladder and saying I couldn't do it, but the boys were wonderful and made me do it, and from then on nothing fazed me. - My salary - fifteen shillings a week.

Having left school at 16 I started in Video on a Youth Training Scheme at Southampton University and, having learnt every aspect from wiring cables, putting up lights, operating the camera, production office duties and editing, I applied to JOBFIT (a Government funded scheme to train people in the film industry) to specialise in Continuity/Script Supervision. During the subsequent 2 years most of my placement were in editing, assistant directing or continuity. The sound department already had its quota of 3, so my placement there gave me more time to observe the Script Supervisor. I was very fortunate to work on some wonderful productions my first being "Greek Myth's The Storyteller", made by Jime Henson Productions.

I was a massive Muppet fan but alas did not get a chance to meet Jim Henson as he had very tragically died early that same year, 1989. I worked with Mary Holdsworth and Hilary Fagg, who alternated between episodes. I then worked on "Inspector Morse" in the editorial department, with Bob Dearberg and Andrew Nelson, sound department with Tony Dawe and Continuity department with Pauline Harlow. The only film I trained on in the two years was "Alien III" and this under the guidance of June Randall. That film was an eye opener. I was very green of course, but took it all in and hopefully helped June rather than hindered her. Once I had completed my two year training, I went freelance and with the contacts that I had made whilst training I managed to get the odd job here and there in television and film. My biggest achievement, only a year into my freelancing, was to work on the 2nd Unit of "The Muppet Christmas Carol" for David Barron, who I had met on my first job. He was the production manager, so I wrote to see if he needed anyone for the Muppet film, his reply was instant, he invited me in for an interview and, half an hour later I was sat at a desk with a pile of paperwork and tapes in front of me! Daunting was an understatement! After this film, though, I decided that 2nd Unit was my forte and have specialised in this field ever since. It took me over 8 years to get established in the Industry having started my freelancing in 1991. Between Jobs I had to work as a secretarial temp until 1999 when I worked on my first James Bond film, "The World Is Not Enough". That was when I felt that I hade made it officially into the Film Industry.

I joined the BBC in the late 60's where I worked as Verity Lambert's secretary in the Drama, Plays Department. The ethics of the BBC, at the time, allowed all employees the opportunity to apply for jobs advertised within the organisation, and very soon I was being trained as a Producer's Assistant, with responsibilities described by Penny Eyles earlier. It was an exciting time; BBC2 had just started and as the all-film-drama became more common I was allocated to shoot in the South of France on a thriller called "The Man Who Was Hunting Himself".

An opportunity to move to an expanding Drama Department at Yorkshire Television, headed by Peter Willes, led me to work on a 5-week shoot in Hong Kong with director Jim Goddard on "Hadleigh". I was in my element and, although somewhat overwhelmed and terrified at the start of the production, by the end I felt that 'Continuity' was something I could do full time and, therefore, ditch the unrewarding production co-ordinating aspect of being a PA! So I made the momentous decision to become freelance in the hope that I would get work on films made by independent companies.

Verity, by then head of Euston Films, kindly introduced me to Johnny Goodman, Executive Producer on "Danger UXB", and I was offered two episodes. As luck would have it towards the end of the shooting, Peter Cotton, the 1st AD, had been asked if he could recommend a Continuity Girl to work with director Terry Jones on "Monty Python's Life of Brian", which was due to start shooting in Tunisia, in the September.

And that was it - I never looked back - I had arrived in the film industry and have loved (well, nearly!) every moment ever since.

I first started a few years ago. I was taking a gap year in France, studying at a film school there. I was interested in the production side of things. One day a lecturer told us that there would be a class on script supervision, that it rarely occurred and we should come. I had never heard of the role, but decided to go. The class was fascinating, I thought the role was a good fit for me as I always noticed continuity errors in films and I enjoyed organising/filing. Most of the class agreed, during the lunch break a few people asked if I would be able to work on their short films. I returned to the UK and I focused on script supervising through University. A strange thing happened on the day I finished.

I was on my way to hand in my final assignment and I received a phone call, it was a woman I knew from the art department of a short film. She was working on a low budget film which needed a cover SS. I said yes and a few days later I was on my first feature. After that I did a low budget film and training under other Script Supervisors who I got in touch with. My two biggest breaks came recently. I was at home one night when I received a call from "Kick-Ass 2", they needed a SS for the splinter unit and my name had come up (I imagine because the list was in alphabetical order). The other break came through the yahoo group. A DoP (Stefan Lange, who was a really nice person to work with) was looking for a SS on a children's educational series. I applied and ended up working on "Tales From The Old Baily) (which recently aired on the BBC). That's my story to date.